APPENDIX a Hesiod, Works and Days, Lines 1-201

APPENDIXA

Hesiod, Works and Days, Lines 1-201

The Works and Days is a didactic poem of 828 lines, most of which are concerned with advice and instruction on agriculture, seafaring, and moral and practical conduct. These exhortations are addressed to Hesiod's brother Perses, who is said to have cheated Hesiod out of his fair share of his in heritance, and at times to the "kings" whom Perses bribed in his evil plan. All of the poem is of great interest, but only the first 201 lines are con cerned with mythical topics. First is the myth of Prometheus and Pandora (47-105), a revised version of the same story told in the Theogony, and sec ond is the myth of the Five Races, a history of the devolution of mankind from its original symbiotic bliss to its present miserable condition.

Muses of Pieria,° who glorify with song, Come, tell of your father Zeus in song; Thanks to him mortal men are both famous and obscure, known and unknown, by the will of great Zeus. easily he makes one strong, easily he crushes the strong, 5 easily he lowers the high and raises the lowly, easily straightens the crooked and withers the proud, high-thundering Zeus whose home is most high. hear me, see and listen, straighten decrees with justice; and I would tell the truth to Perses. 10 There was not one birth of Eris,° but on earth there are two; who knows the one would praise her, but the other is to be blamed; they have opposite minds. One advances evil war and battle, the cruel one; no mortal loves her, but of necessity they honor 15 the harsh Eris, by the will of the immortals. The other was born first to dark Nyx, and Kronos' son, who dwells in brightness, high-throned, put her in earth's roots and made her better for men; she rouses even the helpless to work. 20 For a man wanting work, when he sees another who is rich, who hurries to plow and plant and 1 For Pieria see on Th 54 11 Eris is Discord (Th 225). Theogony • 107 106 • Theogony to teach her crafts, to weave the skillful web; arrange his affairs well, is envious of his neighbor 65 who hurries after wealth; this Eris is good formortals. and golden Aphrodite to pour charm over her head, and terrible longing and limb-consuming cares; So potter is at odds with potter, and artisan with artisan, 25 beggar resents beggar, and singer envies singer. and he ordered Hermes Argeiphontes,° the messenger, Perses, put these things in your heart, to put in her a bitch's mind and deceiving behavior. lest evil-loving Eris check your heart from work So he spoke, and they obeyed lord Zeus, Kronos' son. as you spy on disputes and listen at court. Quickly the famous Lame One· made fromearth the 70 likeness of a modest virgin, by the plans of Kronos' son; For disputes and courts barely concern a man 30 owl-eyed Athena sashed her and dressed her; whose year's livelihood is not stored up at home 0 on time, that which the earth bears, Demeter's grain. the divine Charites and mistress Peitho put If you have that in abundance, advance disputes and strife golden necklaces on her skin, and on her head the for another's goods. There will be no second time lovely-haired Horai put a garland of spring flowers; 75 and Pallas Athene arranged all the finery on her skin. for you to do this, but let us now settle the quarrel 35 with straight judgments, which are of Zeus and best. And in her heart the messenger Argeiphontes For we divided our inheritance before, and you seized put lies and sly stories and deceitful behavior, and carried offmuch else, greatly flatteringthe by the plans of deep-sounding Zeus; the herald gift-eating kings who want to make this judgment, of the gods put in a voice, and named this woman 80 Pandora, since all who have Olympian homes fools who do not know how much the half exceeds 40 the whole, and what a great good is mallow and asphodel. presented a gift, a woe to men who work forfood. For the gods hide and hold man's means of life; And when he finishedthe sheer irresistible trick, the father sent famed Argeiphontes, the gods' swift or you would easily accomplish enough in a day 85 to keep you fora year, even without working; messenger, to take the gift to Epimetheus; and Epimetheus did not think about what Prometheus told him, never you would quickly store the rudder over the smoke 45 the work of oxen and hard-working mules would p�rish. to accept a gift from Olympian Zeus, but to send it But Zeus hid this, angered in his heart, back, lest it turn out to be some evil formortals. because crafty Prometheus deceived him. But he took it, and knew the evil only when he had it. Therefore he contrived miserable cares for men· For earlier the tribes of men used to live on the earth 90 ' free and apart from evils and without hard trouble ge hid fire; but the fine son of Iapetos 50 stole it back for men from wise Zeus in a and harsh diseases which bring doom to men; 92 hollow narthex, deceiving thunder-loving Zeus. but the woman opened the jar's great lid with her hands, 94 and scattered these; she wrought sad cares for men. 95 Cloud-gatherer Zeus was angered and said to him, 0 "Son of Iapetos, knowing thoughts beyond all, Elpis alone, there in the unbreakable home, you rejoice, having stolen fire and seduced my mind, 55 stayed within under the jar's rim, and did not a great woe to you yourself and to men who will be. fly out; for before this she closed the jar's lid I will give them an evil to pay for fire, which all by the plans of cloud-gatherer Zeus Aigiochos. might enjoy at heart, embracing their own evil." But the rest, uncounted miseries, wander among men; 100 So he spoke, and the fatherof men and· gods laughed. means "Dog-Slayer" (West, WD 67 Argeiphontes, an epithet of Hermes, probably He ordered famous Hephaistos immediately 60 to mix earth with water, and to put in a human voice 368-369). 70 The "Lame One" is Hephaistos. and str�ngth, to make it like immortal goddesses in face, 73 The Charites are the Graces; Peitho is Persuasion. a beautiful, lovely maiden's image; and Athena 96 Elpis is Hope. 108 • Theogony Theogony • 109

the earth is full of evils, the sea is full; But since the earth also hid this race below, 140 by day and by night spontaneous diseases they are called blessed mortals under the earth; visit men, bringing evils to mortals in they are second, but still honor attends them. silence, since wise Zeus took away their voice. Father Zeus made a third race of mortal men So there is no way to escape the mind of Zeus. 105 of bronze, not at all like the silver, If you wish, I will relate another story to you, fro�ash-trees, terrible and strong, who cared for 145 well and knowingly, and do you put it in your heart, the grievous works of Ares and violence; they ate how gods and mortal men are bornfrom the same. no bread, but had a hard-hearted spirit of adamant; First a golden race of mortal men were they were unformed; great strength and unbeatable arms grew fromtheir shoulders over mighty limbs. made by the immortals who have Olympian homes. 110 They lived in Kronos' time, when he ruled the sky; Bronze was their armor, bronze their houses, 150 they lived like gods, with carefree heart, with bronze they worked; black iron did not exist. free and apart from trouble and pain; grim old age And conquered by their own hands did not afflictthem, but with legs and arms always they went to the moldy house of icy Hades, strong they played in delight, apartfrom all evils; 115 nameless; although they were mighty, black death They died as if subdued by sleep; and all good things seized them, and they left the sun's shining light. 155 were theirs; the fertile earth produced fruit But when the earth also hid this race below, by itself, abundantly and unforced; willingly and still another, the fourth on the fertileearth, effortlessly they ruled their lands with many goods. was made by Kronos' son Zeus, more just and better, a godlike race of heroes who are called demi-gods, [rich in flocks and dearto the blessed gods] 120 But since the earth hid this race below, the race before ours on the boundless earth. 160 they are daimones0 by the plans of great Zeus, Evil war and the grim din of battle destroyed benevolent earthly guardians of mortal men, them, some below seven-gated Thebes, in the Kadmeian [ who watch over judgments and cruel deeds, land, fighting over the flocks of Oidipous, and clothed in air and roaming over all the earth] 125 leading some in ships over the sea's great gulf wealth-givers; they also hold this kingly right. to Troy, forthe sake of rich-haired Helene. 165 Afterwards a second, much worse age of There death's end covered over some of them, silver was made by those who have Olympian homes, but, giving to others a life and home apart from men, not like the golden in body and mind. Kronos' son, father Zeus, settled them at the ends of the 168 For a hundred years a child was raised by his 130 earth, and they dwell, with carefreeheart, in the 170 dear mother, a great fool playing in his house; islands of the blessed by deep-whirling Okeanos; but when they grew up and reached youth's measure, happy heroes, for whom the fertile earth bears they would live but a short time, having griefs honey-sweet fruit, ripe, three times a year. in their foolishness; for they could not restrain [they are far from the immortals; Kronos is their king 173a rash violence from one another, and they did not want 135 ) the father of men and gods released him; 173b to serve the immortals or sacrificeon the holy altars [Now] he has honor among them as [is fitting. 173c of the blessed, as is right for men by custom. Then But Zeus] made another race [of mortal men, 173d Kronos' son Zeus was angry and hid them, since they of those who now] are born on [the fertile earth.] 173e would not give honors to the gods who hold Olympos. I wish I were not among the fifth 174 men, but died before or was born later. 175 122 Daimones are spirits who watch over mortals, mysterious, invisible, and virtually For now the race is of iron; never by day anonymous. 110 • Theogony

will they cease from labor and pain, nor by night HESIOD'S THEOGONY from being oppressed; the gods will give harsh cares. But still, even forthem good will be mixed with evil. And Zeus will destroy this race of mortal men too, 180 Translated, when at birth they are grey at the temples. A father will not agree with his children, nor children With Introduction, with their father, nor guest with host or comrade with Commentary, and Interpretive Essay comrade, nor will brother be friend to brother, as before. They will be quick to dishonor aging parents; 185 they will find fault with them, speaking harsh words, by Richard S. Caldwell cruel, ignorant of the gods' vengeance; nor will they repay aging parents for their nurture. Might will be right; one will sack another's city; there will be no appreciation of the man who keeps 190 his word, or is just or good, but they will honor instead the evil-doer and violent man; justice and respect will be in violence; the evil man will harm the better, saying crooked words, and will swear an oath on it. Zelos· will accompany all the sorry men, 195 bringing disturbance, loving evil, hate-faced. And then to Olympos, from the wide-pathed earth, concealing their beautiful skin in white robes, abandoning men for the race of the immortals, 0 Aidos and Nemesis will go; miserable pains will 200 be left formortal men, there will be no cure of evil.

Focus Classical Library Focus Information Group, Inc. PO Box 369 195 2.elos is the personification of Envy. Newburyport MA 0 1950 200 Aid�s [Reverence] is internally-impo _ sed restraint; Nemesis (Retribution, Indigna tion] 1s externally-imposed restraint.